


Right Behind You

by orphan_account



Category: Johnny's Entertainment, KAT-TUN (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-19
Updated: 2013-05-18
Packaged: 2017-12-12 07:04:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/808697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><img/><br/>Banner by Stormy</p><p>The world of fame was not always just hanging out with your friends in a band, fooling around and wearing silly outfits. No, there were dark sides to it. Dark sides that had hunted Kame down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hey everyone! This idea had been literally _hunting *muahaha*_ my mind for quite a while. Yes, I know that Halloween is over, but still ;) I have never written suspense before. I did my best.

Jin’s POV

_I was panting. I had run so much that I felt disoriented. I heard Kame’s voice, but I was not quite sure where it was coming from._

_“Kame?” I called into the pitch-black darkness, trying to make out the source from the voice, but it seemed to surround me._

_“Jin… help me…”_

_“Kame” I murmured, running again, and then there was this dark figure in the back, staring. I tried to run from it, because I needed to find Kame. Where was he?!_

_And then there was a light, and he was there, looking at me with those huge familiar brown eyes, seeming scared and pleading._

_“Jin…”_

_“Kame!” I called again, reaching out, trying to grab him, to pull him away from here, to keep him safe… But every time I tried to take his hand, I grabbed into nothing, like Kame was made out of thin air and I…_

_I looked up at him again, and our eyes caught. Kame looked so fragile, and his eyes were begging, begging me to help him, to-_

_And then I saw that dark figure again, standing behind him. There was a laugh._

_“KAME!” I called, but then he was gone, as if he had just disappeared, and-_

The sound of my alarm woke me from my dream. I sat up straight in my bed, out of breath, staring straight ahead, the images from my dream still vivid in my mind.

“Mouuu…” I murmured, running my hand over my forehead in frustration. It came away clammy from the sweat.

How many times did my mind still want to torture me with this confusing nightmare? I didn’t get it. Why was I dreaming of Kame all the time?

It was not like we were talking so much lately, anyways. The times when we had still been best friends were long past. I couldn’t say what exactly it had been that had broken us apart – it had been many little things, starting from the point when I had returned from the US in 2007. I had changed, Kame had changed, and growing up, we had drifted further apart.

It was not like we refused to talk to the other apart from work, it was just that we rarely did. Sometimes it still felt weird, like when I heard other people talking about Kame, telling me things about him that I did not even know. It felt like I had been a top student once, in a subject called _Kamenashi Kazuya_ , and now I had changed to another subject and started losing track. It seemed wrong sometimes, but there was nothing much I could do about it. So I tried not to ponder.

I really wondered how he managed to squeeze himself into my subconscious mind these days. It made no sense, really.

I sighed, pulling my blanket aside to get up, ready to take a shower to clean my mind.

***

“Morning!” I murmured as I entered the KAT-TUN dressing room later that morning. Everyone else was already present, talking vividly in small groups. They all stopped for a moment to greet back, then returned to their previous conversations.

I shot a short, unconscious look at Kame – he was talking to Koki, who was animatedly retelling a tale having to do with his little brother and the angry neighbor dog, from all I could tell, and he seemed amused as he listened to him, a soft smile lingering on his lips.

I looked away before he would notice that I had been watching him, sitting down next to Nakamaru, undressing myself and dumping my jacket on the table between us as I pretended to listen to Taguchi talking about his latest video game.

We fell silent when our manager finally arrived, clapping his hands animatedly.

“Alright, everyone!” he called into the round cheerfully. “Ready for a day full of interviews?”

“I guess” Ueda shrugged, getting up, and everyone gathered their things to get going. I got up, stretching, barely catching it as our manager said: “Kamenashi-Kun, can I have a word please?”

Kame looked up, nodding at him as the manager told the rest of the band to already go ahead, they’d be following in a minute. I didn’t think much about it as I strolled down the corridor next to Nakamaru – after all, Kame was the leader of the band. It was nothing unusual for him to have private talks with the management.

We were halfway down the hallway when I noticed that I had forgotten my jacket on the table.

“Argh, sorry!” I murmured to the others, turning around. “Go ahead already, I’ll be back in a minute!”

With that, I hurried back down to our dressing room, really hoping that I was not intruding into something important, or Kame might become mad.

The door was still open when I arrived. Kame was leaning against the back of the couch, looking up at our manager curiously, and I was just about to make my presence known when he said: “We’ve been receiving those letters lately, you know.”

I froze, staying silent. I was not sure why I was suddenly so alerted – maybe it was something in our manager’s voice that had me suspicious. Maybe it was some kind of intuition.

“Letters?” Kame repeated, crooking an eyebrow in question. “What kind of letters?”

“Well…” Our manager began, seeming careful about his answer. “First we thought it was normal fan mail. The content was not really worrisome. The only weird thing about it was that it was written with a computer, and not signed or without even a name on it. But then… the content got more intense.”

“Intense in which way?” Kame asked quietly.

“Well, there were phrases like “He is mine” and “No one but me can have him”… It was all quite possessive things…”

“Well, I’m sure I’m not the only one who gets such letters sometimes” Kame shrugged, frowning. “It happens if you are a public person, right?”

“Maybe you’re right” the manager admitted. “But… What is weird is that those letters have not been sent by postal service. They were just dropped off at the agency. It just… I don’t know… It seems weird…”

“I don’t think there’s anything to worry about” Kame said slowly.

“We are probably being overly careful, you’re right” Our manager nodded. “But please watch out for yourself, okay? If any strange people approach you… You know. Be careful.”

“Alright, I promise I won’t get into cars of strangers” Kame chuckled, and the manager made a face.

“Okay, let’s get going already, the others are wai-“

He stopped when he turned his eyes to the door, spotting me. Kame looked up, too, frowning as his eyes met mine.

“Sorry!” I gasped, feeling the color rush to my face in embarrassment. “I didn’t mean to… I wanted to get my jacket, and…”

“Well, whatever…” Our manager shrugged, turning to leave the room. “Hurry up, or we’ll be late!”

I heard his footsteps fade away as I watched Kame, who was starting to collect his things, too.

“Are you sure?” I asked quietly, surprising myself as the words slipped out. Kame blinked, looking up at me, and I quickly grabbed my jacket as I stuttered to add: “That it’s… you know… nothing to worry… I mean, in movies, those kind of things are always dangerous, and-“

“This is real life, Akanishi, and no movie” Kame answered confidently. “And this is Japan, not America. I’m quite sure someone is just having a laugh.”

“If you say so…” I frowned, looking up at him, meeting his eyes for a moment. “But be careful, okay?”

“Sure” Kame nodded, turning to leave the room, and I followed close behind him, with a bad feeling in my stomach.

***

Three days after I had overheard that talk with Kame and the manager, nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. I had begun to think that Kame was right – that there was probably nothing much to the letters, and that someone had just joked around with us. Or with Kame, for that matter.

It wasn’t until the fourth day, when we returned to our dressing room after a dance rehearsal for the upcoming tour, that I understood that it indeed was real, and potentially dangerous.

Everyone had been chatting loudly, and Koki had started a water bottle battle with Taguchi, when I had spotted Kame sitting on his desk with a paper in his hand, reading it with a blank expression reflected in the mirror.

Unnoticed by the others, I slipped a few steps towards him until I could see what he was reading. Kame did not even notice me peaking over his shoulder.

 _Too beautiful._  
He is way too beautiful to be stared at by all those dirty people.  
He is pure, and he is mine.  
No one but me can have him  
I am going to make him mine.

When I gasped quietly, Kame started, looking up at me through the mirror. I exchanged an uncomfortable glance with him, but before I could say anything, Koki had leaned on Kame’s desk, asking: “Kame-Chan, what do you have there? Our track list?`” and snatching the paper away from Kame before he could react.

We both stared at him in silence as Koki’s smile faded, and he paled visibly.

“What _is_ that?!” he asked, his voice a little higher than before.

“What is what?” Ueda asked, snatching the paper away from Koki to have a look himself, and Nakamaru and Taguchi peaked over his shoulder as well, curious.

When they were done reading, they all stared at Kame.

“Who gave you that?” Ueda asked, seeming alarmed.

“I don’t know” Kame murmured, seeming defensive. “It was lying on my desk when I came in. There is no envelope or whatever. It just lay there.”

“But who would write something like that?!” Koki asked, seeming freaked out. “And then have access to our dressing room?!”

“This is so creepy” Taguchi nodded. “Like some kind of stalker is running around in our agency, ready to kidnap Kame.”

“Oh, come on!” Kame chuckled, snatching the paper away from Ueda again, looking dubious. “There is no stalker or anything like that! Halloween is over!”

“But Kame, this is no fun!” I pointed out, feeling more than only a little uneasy. “This guy was in here. It’s not some 13-year-old fan girl which writes letters from her parents’ house and sends them anonymously. Whatever it was, it was _here_.”

“Don’t call it a _it_ ” Nakamaru murmured, making a face. “This makes it seem like a zombie or a ghost.” He started when Taguchi made a “Booo”ing noise into his ear.

“Stop it, okay!” Kame called, rolling his eyes at them. “There are no zombies or ghosts, or stalker, or crazy ax murders or whatever!”

“Maybe they are vampires” Taguchi pointed out reasonably. “They could have seen Lost My Way and thought you were one of them.”

Kame groaned, and Ueda elbowed him into his stomach painfully.

“Seriously, guys, there is nothing to worry about” Kame shrugged, scrunching the paper into a ball before throwing it into the bin under his desk. “This is just some bad joke or something.”

“But it’s a _really_ bad joke” Nakamaru pointed out, seeming skeptic, just like me.

“Don’t worry, I said!” he repeated, shrugging. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”

With that, Kame grabbed his things, disappearing for the shower. Koki and Taguchi seemed satisfied with his answer, starting a conversation on horror movies, but Ueda, Nakamaru and I exchanged worried looks before turning for our own things.

***

I met Kame on our way to the parking lot.

“Are you sure?” I asked, feeling like a broken record as I broke our tensed silence. “That there is nothing to worry about, I mean.”

“Yes, Akanishi” he nodded, seeming impatient. “I’m sure.”

“Don’t shrug it off like that” I murmured quietly, before I could help myself. “I’m worried, okay?”

Kame seemed taken aback by that, frowning slightly as he caught my gaze. I felt stupid immediately, for saying it out loud. We were not that close anymore, after all.

“Thanks” Kame said quietly, fumbling nervously with his car keys. “For worrying, I mean. But it’s not necessary, really.”

“If you say so” I murmured. A sudden wave of courage grabbed me, and before it disappeared again, I added: “If anything happens, call me, okay?”

Kame looked up at me, blinking in surprise.

“You know, if there is anything out of the ordinary, or if you need me – just call. I’ll be there.”

There was an awkward silence between us, and then we arrived at Kame’s car. He cleared his throat, seeming embarrassed before he murmured: “Thanks.”

I only nodded, not looking at him as I said: “See you tomorrow, then.”

“Yeah. See you” he nodded, and his car beeped as he unlocked it, slipping inside. I turned around to search for my own car, discreetly watching his car speed away out of the corner of my eyes with an uneasy feeling.

***

Kame’s POV

I pondered over the letter I had found in the dressing room all the drive home. At first, I had been sure that the letters the management had received, and even that one, too, had just been some kind of sick joke, but now, after seeing the worry in everyone else’s reaction, I was not quite so sure anymore.

Could there be more to those letters than some very intense fangirling? I found it hard to believe that. It seemed so surreal. But on the other hand, it was weird that whoever had written this letter had apparently had access to our dressing room. A fan had to be very determined to go through all of that pain just to put a letter there.

I tried to shake the thought out of my mind as I arrived at home, parking my car in front of the house. It would only give me the creeps to ponder about it too much.

I tried to redirect my thoughts into safer waters, like the planning of our upcoming tour, as I got out of the car, locking it and making my way towards my apartment complex. I opened my post box absentmindedly, getting a bunch of letters out and going through them with little interest. Advertisement, bills, advertisement…

I frowned thought, when I encountered a single folded paper between them, without an envelop or anything. I frowned, balancing the rest of the letters in one of my hands as I opened it, reading its message.

I stopped breathing, my eyes widening in shock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted: http://vflmaeuschen.blog.com/2011/11/17/multichapter-right-behind-you-chapter-1/


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>   
>  Banner by Stormy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Several things’ve been going on… Well, anyways, here is the next chapter!

Kame’s POV

I double locked the door, my fingers shaky. I concentrated on breathing evenly, but it seemed difficult. I should feel safe, being back in my own apartment. I did not, though.

I turned on the lights in every single room, scanning it thoroughly, as if I expected anything to be ajar, or anyone to have broken in here and stand in a corner, ready to attack. There was nothing, though, and it slowed my pulse down a little.

Hesitantly, I stepped fully into my living room, at last risking a look out of the window. I spotted the black car easily, parking on the side of the street. Only that now, its driver was leaning against it. He was a bulky man, dressed in jeans and a black coat. A hat was drawn into his eyes, and a black scarf covered most of his face.

That did not keep him, though, from staring up at my window. I froze, just staring back in horror, forgetting for a moment that he could see me, too.

Who was this guy? How did he know where I lived? Which window was mine from outside, even? Had he been watching me for a longer period already, without me noticing?

I let out a shaky breath before I stepped back a few steps, panicky, to get away from the window, out of the sight of that freaky stranger.

Now I felt seriously caught in a horror movie. I had laughed at Taguchi’s implications only an hour ago. Now, it didn’t seem so funny anymore.

I collected all my courage to step up to the window again, drawing the curtains, shielding myself from the guys’ sight. I felt only particularly relieved, proceeding quickly as I drew all the curtains closed, so that in the end, there was no window left through which I could be watched, eventually.

After that, I sat down on my couch, resting my face in my hands, trying to calm myself down.

“Okay, Kazuya, calm down” I prep-talked myself in hushed whispers. “Nothing can happen to you. You’re locked in your flat. And even if not, you can defend yourself. It’s no big deal, is it?”

I steeled myself, breathing deeply before standing up, stepping to the window again. I peeked through the curtain for a moment. The shock seethed through me again as I saw that the unknown man was still leaning against his car, on the very spot he had had a few minutes ago, staring up at my _freaking closed curtains._ What the heck?!

I let the curtains fall closed again, feeling a shill down my spine. What was I going to do now?

Maybe he was going to go away again, after some time. After all, it should get boring at some point, staring at drawn curtains.

Maybe I was even seeing things. Maybe this guy was not after me at all. He could just be waiting for someone, and then he saw me, recognized me, and wondered why I had looked so scared. I surely must have looked pathetic enough to attract attention.

I tried to hold onto that thought as I stepped through my flat anxiously, occupying myself with a cleaning fit. I packed away all my clothes that lay splattered in every room. I washed the dishes. I even scrubbed the freaking kitchen counters, before I risked throwing another look outside, through the drawn curtains.

I heaved a sigh of relief as I saw that the man and the car were gone. I had probably really been seeing things. The guys and their ridiculous fantasies from today had been getting to me.

I returned to the kitchen, grabbing my garbage to bring it outside. I was still feeling lightheaded from the relief as I unlocked the door again. I should probably eat something as soon as I had brought the garbage down. It would make me come back to reality.

I quickly slipped into some slippers as I opened the door, taking a step outside.

I froze as I recognized someone standing on the foot of the stairs. Or better, not _someone_. It was the same unknown man, complete with dark coat, hat and scarf. He was standing there, just like that, facing my door, staring at me.

I let out a shaky breath, not able to move as I stared back in shock. That guy looked huge, I noted. He seemed to be more than a head taller than me, and bulky – just _huge_ , compared to myself.

I could not think. I could not move. I was frozen in fear, just staring, hoping frantically that this was all just a bad dream, and that I would wake up again and hit Taguchi for planting such thoughts in my head.

I didn’t wake up from my trance until the man started to move. Slowly, stepping towards me. I needed a moment, inwardly screaming at my legs to listen to me, before I could actually run. I hurried back into my flat, backwards, throwing the door closed with as much force as I could.

My hands were shaking so badly that I had difficulties locking the door once more, but somehow, I managed.

I stood on my toes, stretching a little to be able to see through the door viewer. The man was still standing there, right in front of my door, staring at it.

I stumbled as I wanted to step back hastily, tripping over my own feet in the hurry, landing on the floor.

“Who are you?!” I called, knowing that he could hear me through the door. My voice was unnaturally high from the fear, but it was still loud enough. “What do you want?!”

There was no answer for a moment. Then, there was a knock on the door. And another. And another. One rhythmic knock followed the previous, and I stared at the door in shock, feeling helpless, and as scared as I had never been in my entire life.

“Go away!” I yelled, crawling backwards on the floor, away from the door. _Knock. Knock._ “I’m calling the police!” I threatened. _Knock. Knock._ “I’m serious!” _Knock._

I tried to gather my limps, which seemed to have turned into jelly, unsteadily hurrying into the kitchen, grabbing the phone on the counter. I quickly dialed 119, grabbing for a knife as my phone dialed, desperate for something to defend myself with, if the lunatic somehow managed to break into my apartment. I could still hear the loud knocks on my door as someone finally took my call.

“Hello, my name is Kamenashi Kazuya!” I said, my voice shaking as I spoke. “There is someone trying to break into my flat! Please, help me!”

There were some questions from the woman on the other side of the line, which I hardly understood, as freaked out as I was, but finally, I managed to give them my address, and she promised that her colleagues would be on their way.

As I had hung up, I slid down onto the floor, making myself as small as I could, hiding behind the kitchen counter, clutching onto the knife in my hand. My breathing was racked as I listened to the sound of the knocks, which did not seem to fade, persistent and intimidating.

Until, after a few minutes, it just stopped. I froze, listening closely, my first thought being that he had found some way to open the door. There was nothing to be heard, though, and I waited anxiously, not sure what to do.

After about a minute of total silence, I got up shakily, taking slow, careful steps toward the door. I took a deep breath before I peeked through the door viewer again.

The hallway was empty, the man gone.

I blinked, torn between relief and astonishment. I crossed my apartment in unsure steps, opening the curtain, looking outside. I saw the black car of the man speeding away, down the road, in the same moment that the police car pulled up my street.

***

“I’m not lying!” I called, my voice sounding hysterical even in my own ears, and the police men looked at me in doubt. “He was _here_. In front of my door. And he wrote me this letter, I-“

I dashed past them, into the corridor, where I had dropped off my post when I had come in earlier, searching for the folded paper. When I had finally found it, the police men stood behind me, still eyeing me skeptically.

“Here!” I said, shoving the paper at them. “This guy is crazy! He is threatening me!”

“That looks like normal fan post to me” one of the officers, short and with glasses, murmured, shrugging. “You should be used to receiving those, I think.”

“It’s not NORMAL!” I insisted. “And _normal_ fans do not come to my home, trying to break in.”

“Well, did he break in?” the other officer, tall and seemingly in his fifties, asked carefully.

“No!” I said incredulous. “Obviously, he did not. But he was here, in front of my door, and-“

“Then what _did_ he do?” he asked, interrupting me.

I gulped, knowing how ridiculous I sounded the moment I answered.

“He knocked.”

“He knocked” the older officer repeated, staring at me. “Did you open and ask what he wanted?”

“NO!” I called, staring at them as if they were insane.

“Well, maybe you should have” the other officer shrugged. “Maybe he had a logic reason to be here.”

I stared at them, blinking.

“You’re not taking me seriously!” I accused, shocked.

“We are taking you seriously, Kamenashi-San!” the older of them assured. “It’s just… it seems like there has been no crime committed. What are we supposed to do?”

“I thought the police was there to help people!” I yelled. “I’m being threatened, and I’m scared as hell. _Do something!_ ”

“As long as there is no crime, we can’t” the shorter one shrugged. “And you don’t even have a name!”

“If I knew the guy, I would not need to be afraid of him!” I pointed out desperately.

“Well, I’m sorry, Kamenashi-San” the older one said quietly. “I’m afraid there is nothing we can do. If you are scared, why don’t you stay the night at a friend’s house? I’m sure it will clean your head and calm you down.”

“I AM CALM!” I yelled, furious at how they were trying to shrug me off. “I don’t want to stay at a friend’s house! I want to feel safe in my own apartment!”

“I’m sorry, but we need to go now” the shorter officer said firmly, ignoring my outburst. I stared incredulous as they put their shoes back on, bidding their goodbyes as they just left again. Before they closed the door completely behind them, the shorter one murmured to his colleague: “Well, fame does have its perks, right?”

I resisted the urge to yell after them, knowing far well that I would run at risk to be arrested myself if I did. So much to the saying “Police – your friend and helper”. How could they just ignore me like that?! They had treated me like I was paranoid and crazy!

I was not paranoid, damnit! The guy had been here!

I hauled myself back into the living room, dropping down on my couch, staring off into space for a while. What was I supposed to do now? Had the thread of police involvement chased him away? Or would he return?

I got up again, opening my curtain once more, scanning the street – only to see that the car was back, parking on the side of the street. I backed away from the window, panicked, stumbling, falling onto the floor, only barely avoiding to hit my head on the couch table.

It was that moment that I heard the knock again. And another. And another.

I whimpered, closing my eyes in desperation. What was I supposed to do now?! I could not call the police again. They would not help me, and the man would probably be gone again anyways before they could catch him.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

“Just go away!” I whined to myself, balling my fists, hitting the floor one time in frustration. _Knock. Knock. Knock._

The knocking did not stop, and though all of my senses screamed at me to stay put and hide, I crawled towards the corridor, before I got up, shakily approaching the door. I grabbed the knife again on my way, desperate to have something to defend myself with.

When I had reached the door, I peeked through the door viewer again. It really was _him_ – his face hidden under the head, he was knocking unrelentingly against my wooden door.

“GO AWAY!” I yelled desperately, banging against the door myself, but the knocking from the other side did not stop. I suppressed a whimper as I backed away again, stumbling once more, landing on the hard ground. I could hear my frantic breathing mixing with the continuous knocking.

It was then, that I remembered the conversation I had had with Jin earlier. Desperately, I crawled back into the living room, reaching for my cell phone on the couch table. I needed about a minute to manage to find his contact in my list, thanks to my shaking fingers, even though he was an “A”.

When I had finally managed to dial, I held the phone to my ear, listening to the ringing, trying to drown out the knocking sound, hoping that _for once in his life_ , Jin would keep his promise.

***

Jin’s POV

I almost choked on my Pizza as I saw Kame’s name on my display. I immediately had a bad feeling. Usually, Kame never called me these days – if there were any job related matters, he would usually let the manager talk to me. Which told me that most probably, something had happened, if he was calling now, at half past 9 in the night.

I fumbled to take the call, breathless as I answered it.

“Kame?”

“Jin!” Kame whimpered, and I sat up straight, alarmed at the sound of his voice. Beside the fact that he had not called me by my first name in ages. “Jin, help me!”

“What happened?!” I asked, panicking.

“There is someone at my door!” Kame called, his voice high, letting me know only by the sound of it that he was scared. “And the police will not help me and-“

“Okay, calm down!” I said, gulping against the panic rising in my throat. “I’m on my way, okay? I’ll be there in a few!”

“Hurry!” Kame pleaded, and it went straight to my stomach, the fragile tone of his voice.

“I’ll be there as fast as I can!” I promised. “Just stay where you are! Don’t open the door until I arrive!”

“I won’t” Kame answered, and then he hung up, and I almost stumbled in my hurry to grab my things.

I was in my car in record time, driving through the city in probably double the speed that was allowed, but I did not care, and luckily, I was not caught. I could live with a speeding ticket, under the circumstances, but I would not let myself be slowed down by a chat with the police.

I parked behind a black car on the side of the street, jumping out of the driver’s seat and slamming the door shut behind me, locking the car with the remote control while I ran towards the door. It was open, and I ran inside, sprinting up the stairs until I was on Kame’s story.

It was then that I saw the guy – wrapped in a black coat, a hat drawn into his eyes, a black scarf hiding most of his face. He was tall, and broad, and his eyes were fixed on Kame’s door as he knocked against it with his fist.

Adrenaline rushed through me as I crossed the distance towards the guy, grabbing him at his coat as he looked up at me, screaming: “YOU! What do you want from Kame?! Leave him alone, you freaking stalker, or I’ll-“

I did not come farther than that, though. Before I knew it, he had pushed me, with such a force that I stumbled backwards, colliding with the wall behind me. Hard.

It made me lose my orientation for a moment, pain shooting through my head as the guy rushed past me, down the stairs. The next thing I knew, Kame’s door had flown open, and he was grabbing my shoulders, calling my name frantically.

“JIN! Are you alright?!”

“Uhuh” I nodded, focusing my eyes on his face.

He looked like shit – he was pale and his eyes were wide with shock and fear. He seemed shaky and unsteady on his feet, breathing irregularly. He reminded me of my dreams.

“I’m okay” I repeated. “And he is gone for now. Calm down.”

My comment did not seem to calm him down, though, but at least he let go of my shoulder. I spotted the knife in his hand, and swiftly took it away from him. Safer, in his state.

“Come on!” I hushed. “Let’s go back inside and talk there.”

Kame nodded, turning to enter his flat again. I followed, closing the door behind us. Kame locked it, twice, with shaky fingers.

“What happened?” I asked quietly, though it was obvious, but I still wanted to know the details. I set the knife down on a table in the corridor as Kame began to speak, his voice shaky and high and his words not making much sense.

“I came home, and there was this letter, and then the guy was in front of my door, and the police said I was crazy, and-“

“Kame” I murmured soothingly, but Kame continued babbling to himself.

“And he would not stop, and there was his car, and why is everything about him _black_ , and-“

“Kame!” I repeated once more, my voice more firm this time, and it made him look up at me. The expression in his eyes made my stomach drop. His eyes were red, bloodshot, and he looked scared like I had never seen him before. Desperate. Wrung out. _Fragile._

I reached out, without thinking, crushing him against my chest, holding him close. His thin body was shaking in my arms, and I squeezed him tighter, trying to reassure him.

“I’m here, okay?” I whispered softly. “Nothing will happen to you. I won’t let it. Okay? Calm down.”

Kame nodded, and he breathed in shakily, not moving as I hugged him close until I felt his breathing even out slightly. It was then that I let go, looking into his eyes.

“Let’s sit down and talk quietly, okay?” I suggested, and Kame nodded, following me into the living room.

***

We sat down on his couch and talked calmly then. He told me how he had gotten home, and had had this letter in his post box. He showed me the letter, explaining how the guy had been watching him, first from outside, then appearing at his door. He told me how the police would not help him, insisting that no crime had happened.

“What am I supposed to do now, Jin?!” he asked desperately, kneading his fingers helplessly. “What if he turns up again?”

“Maybe I chased him away?” I suggested hopefully.

“The police did not chase him away!” Kame reminded me, testily. “Nothing against you, but you’re not that scary.”

“We will think of something, okay?” I promised. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Thank you” Kame whispered, and he reached out to place his hand on my arm, squeezing it. I took his hand in mine, threading my fingers through his. His hand was sweaty and cold.

“For tonight, I will stay with you” I decided. “I don’t think it’s safe to leave you alone.” Not mentioning the fact that I thought Kame was too labile to be left alone.

Kame only nodded, not saying anything.

***

At first, we stayed on Kame’s couch, waiting for anything further to happen. For the guy to return. Kame peaked through his curtains a few times, but in the dark, he could not make out a car anymore.

I turned the TV on after a while, trying to distract him. We watched a rerun of “Friends” for a while before I suggested that we got to sleep. It was already half past 11, and we had to be at the agency at 8 tomorrow.

I suggested sleeping on the couch, but Kame insisted that the bed was big enough. Though it felt weird, after all this time, to sleep in one bed with him again, I agreed eventually. It brought back old memories of being a Junior and being stuffed in a tent with him in Okinawa.

We took our turns in the bathroom – when he was in, I double checked that all curtains were closed, and that the door was really locked, the hallway deserted.

When I came out of the bathroom, dressed in jogging pants that were too wide on Kame but fit me perfectly well, he was sitting on the bed, too tensed up to really count as tired, but having huge rings under his eyes.

I closed the door behind me, lying down on the side of the bed that Kame had left me. It was the one closer to the door, but I was perfectly fine with that.

Kame seemed reluctant, but after a minute, he turned out the light, lying down too. Then he lay there, tensed and awake. We did not speak, but I stayed awake as well, watching him as he stared up to the dark ceiling.

We were both listening for sounds from the door. None came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted: http://vflmaeuschen.blog.com/2011/11/24/multichapter-right-behind-you-chapter-2/


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>   
>  Banner by Stormy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Next chapter. Finally managed to end this series so I can start concentrating on my other projects again <3 It was quite monopolizing haha XD Anyways, here is chapter 3. Next chapter will come soon.

Jin’s POV

I was not sure how much we had slept when Kame’s alarm went off, or if he had slept at all, for that matter. He did not look like he had, certainly, but it was nothing he was not used to, so he did not let it show.

He was considerably calmer than last night, though, or at least he pretended to be. I was sure, though, that he had checked for last night’s stalker through the window and the peephole in the door while I had been in the bathroom. Not that I hadn’t done so, when he had been under the shower.

Kame offered me breakfast, but I did refuse. Much like him, I was never really hungry in the morning. We both sipped on a cup of coffee for a while before we needed to get to work.

I offered to drive us, seeing as my car was already here, and Kame agreed to it. We both scanned our surroundings carefully as we got out of the apartment and down to my car. Both the black car and the driver were not in sight.

We did not talk much on our way to the agency. I parked my car in the basement, scanning the other cars carefully, but there were lots of black cars, and only with the glimpse I had seen of the one last night, I doubted I could recognize it. Kame seemed not to see it either, or at least he did not say anything as we got out of my car.

I locked the car, looking up at him.

“Let’s go” Kame said quietly, and I traced the dark circles under his eyes with mine, just about to say something, when a familiar voice called our names.

“Jin! Kame!” Nakamaru called, walking towards us from the spot where his own car was parked. “How unusual of you to come together” he observed, frowning. I could hardly blame him. It had been a while.

“Well, there were… special circumstances” Kame murmured, seeming uncomfortable. If he wanted to keep last night’s events a secret, I purposefully destroyed his hopes, explaining to Nakamaru: “The stalker was at his house, last night.”

Kame made a face, and Nakamaru froze, staring at me.

“WHAT?!” he yelped.

***

“We have to call the police” Koki said firmly as we all sat in the dressing room half an hour later. Kame had just retold everything what had happened last night, after being pressured by everyone in the room and me threatening him that I would tell them if he didn’t.

“I did call the police” Kame reminded him, sighing. “They did not take me serious. I told you.”

“I’m gonna _make them_ take you serious!” he groaned, punching the table with his fist to emphasize his point.

“I’ve heard of cases like that before” Ueda said quietly, seeming pained. “”Stalkers are walking on the borders of the law. They sure terrorize, but as long as they don’t really _do_ anything, you can’t really do much _about_ them.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Koki groaned. “There’s gotta be something we can do!”

“What do you want them to do? Lock Kame away?” he murmured. I felt sick, imagining it.

“Lock _him_ away!” Nakamaru sided with Koki. “Who knows what he will do, if he gets Kame between his fingers?!”

“We can speculate about that” he nodded. “But as long as he did not actually do any of it, you can’t lock him away. There is no official offense.”

“This is shit” Koki spat, looking disgusted, and the others nodded. Taguchi sat in a corner of the room, staring off into space, being awfully quiet, like he always got, when situations got too intense for him.

I looked at Kame. He was staring off into space, not participating much in the discussion, and I could tell that he felt rather uncomfortable. He hated making people worry about him.

“You know” I spoke up, shutting everyone up. “Maybe we should just wait, and watch out. I mean, we can’t isolate Kame forever.”

“But we can’t leave him to the wolves, either!” Koki glared at me.

“That’s not my intention, believe me!” I said firmly, glaring back at him. I was fully aware that Koki considered me a shitty friend, but he should not underestimate my protective sense when it came to Kame. I had known him longer than he had.

“I think Jin is right” Nakamaru nodded, though he didn’t seem to like that fact at all.

“I will bring you home again tonight, and we’ll see if the stalker is there” I said, this time talking directly to Kame. “And then we will see. How does that sound?”

“Good” Kame nodded, before standing up. “And now let’s put this subject aside and get to work.”

No one but him seemed to like that suggestion very much, but we gave in, for the sake of his nerves.

***

Over the day, I overheard Koki a few times, trying to talk Kame into letting him accompany him home instead of me, but Kame, for some reason, always refused. I did not know why – maybe he was so thankful that I had turned up yesterday, when he had needed me, that he wanted to forget the fact that we were not best friends anymore. Maybe he did not want to pull Koki into all of it.

In the end, I was the one driving home with him. During the car drive, cutting into our tired silence, he suddenly said: “Thanks. For being there for me. For everything.”

I gulped, my throat suddenly dry, as I focused my eyes on the street.

“Always” I answered sincerely. “I’ll always be there when you need me. You know that, right?”

Kame did not answer, but he smiled softly, though it did not reach his eyes.

***

The stalker was not there when we arrived at Kame’s house. Neither was his car. Or a letter in the post box.

I accompanied Kame up, to see if everything was really okay. It was, surprisingly. I was still suspicious, reluctant to leave him alone.

“I think it’s okay for you to leave” Kame said, looking like he meant it. “Maybe you really chased him away last night. I mean, I was really freaked out at that time. I probably overreacted.”

“You did not” I murmured, sighing. “I don’t feel good, leaving you alone like that.” I admitted.

“You can’t always watch over me, you know” he pointed out reasonably. “Who was the one talking about not being able to isolate me earlier?”

“Oh, I surely can watch over you all the time if I want to. Wait till I moved in here” I murmured darkly, and felt a little better when Kame smiled. “Are you really okay?” I repeated.

“Yes” he nodded. “You can leave.”

“Koki will kill me” I pointed out.

“Koki should direct his anger against those who want to harm me, not those who want to protect me” Kame shrugged.

“Not everyone is as practical as you” I shot back. “As long as the stalker is unknown, I am the first choice.”

“I will protect you” Kame said easily, and I laughed despite myself, Kame smiling back. “You really can go” he added. “I’m no princess that needs to be saved.”

“But you are you” I muttered. “I don’t care about any princesses. I care about you.”

Kame’s eyes turned soft as he responded: “That’s nice to know. I thought the days that you cared for me were over.”

“They will never be over!” I promised, and Kame smiled, surprising me in saying: “I missed you.”

“Me too” I whispered back, meaning it.

There was an embarrassed silence, which Kame broke by chuckling: “Get out of here, before you get all wimpy on me.”

“Shut up!” I smirked, adding: “Call me. If he turns up again. I’ll be here.”

“I will” Kame nodded.

“Promise it!” I insisted. “Don’t give me this _I’m too proud and I can cope with it alone_ shit, okay?”

“Honestly, Jin” he sighed, making a face. “I’m way too creeped out by that guy to be proud.”

“That’s good to know” I nodded, finally letting him see me off.

***

Kame’s POV

I would have to lie, saying that I did feel completely safe when Jin left. But I knew that I could not ask him to stay by my side permanently. Even if I knew that he would, if I asked. But the logical part of my brain told me not to. And well, as long as the stalker was out of sight, logic still worked quite well for me.

I occupied myself with the track list for our next tour for the better part of the evening. I knew by experience that this was a work that would keep me busy for several hours, if necessary, and I found it perfect, under the current circumstances.

After I was done with that, I took a bath, hoping that it would relax me enough to sleep well later on. I put on loud music in the bathroom, taking my time, and it even kind of worked. At least, it made me realize how tired I actually was, with the lack of sleep.

So I got out of the bathtub before I could drift off to sleep in it, getting dressed, and turning out the music as I was done.

I blinked as the bathroom fell silent, but I was still able to hear faint sounds, only from outside. I strained my ears, listening.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

I froze, forgetting to breathe for a moment, as I listened to the faint knocking sounds. Suddenly, I was awake again.

I just stood there, for a good 5 minutes, listening to the knocking, not daring to leave the bathroom, my heartbeat in my ears. Then, I took a deep breath, bracing myself as I turned the doorknob, steeping outside.

The knocking was louder, as soon as I stepped out. It made everything in me tense, and it was all I could do to keep myself upright, to control my reactions instead of just sinking to the ground and screaming.

Slowly, I approached the door. I felt myself shaking as I reached it, standing on the tip of my toes to check through the door viewer.

It was really him. It would have been a cruel joke of someone else, admittedly, but I had kind of hoped that someone had just wanted to scare me. But no, he was there – same dark coat, hat and scarf, knocking on my door relentlessly.

“What do you want?” I spoke up loudly, trying to control my voice. It would do no good to show fear again. Maybe, if I did act like it didn’t affect me, he would lose interest.

As an answer, the knocking stopped. I fell silent, waiting.

Then there was a rattling on the doorknob. I stared in shock as the man on the other side joggled the door, this time _really_ trying to break in. I stumbled back in panic, screaming: “STOP IT! STAY AWAY FROM ME! LEAVE ME ALONE!”

No reaction. Only more rattling on the door.

I turned around and dashed into the living room, practically jumping for my phone. Only one thought was left in my mind – _Jin._

I dialed his number, waiting desperately for him to pick up. The two rings seemed like an eternity to me.

“Kame” Jin answered, out of breath. “Is he back?!”

“Yes” I breathed, sinking down on my couch, listening to the rattling on my door in rising panic. “Jin, I think he’s trying to break in.”

There was a short pause, before I heard Jin let out a breath, saying: “I’m on my way.”

With that, he hung up. I gulped, hugging my knees close to my body, smashing my face in them, wishing I could disappear.

I did try to count silently to myself, in the time that I waited for Jin to arrive. I hoped that maybe, it would keep my mind occupied long enough, but I found it hard to manage even such a simple task, as freaked out as I was. I never managed to come past 50, always loosing track beforehand.

I only looked up when I heard screaming in the hallway. For a moment, I was unable to move – I just strained my ears, trying to make out words or voices. It was not until I recognized Jin’s screaming that I managed to jump up, wanting to get outside to help him.

Then there was some loud, thumping noise echoing through the house. I froze in shock.

_Jin!_

I was shaking by the time I managed to make myself move again, dashing towards the door, and unlocking it clumsily. When I had it open, I took in my surroundings, needing a moment longer than usual to take it all in, in my panic.

The guy was gone. Jin was there, though, sitting on the floor, his eyes closed as he leaned against the wall behind him, the face torn in a pained grimace. There was blood, flowing down his temple.

“Jin!” I whispered, sinking down to the floor as well, grabbing his arm. “Are you alright?” I asked frantically, and he made a face, not opening his eyes. “I’m sorry!” I added, breathless, balling a fist on the piece of his jacket that was in my hand. “I shouldn’t have called you. I knew it was dangerous, and I still-“

“Kame” Jin interrupted me, finally opening his eyes. “Too loud.”

“Sorry” I whispered, gulping. “I will call the doctor. I-“

“You don’t need to” Jin assured, sitting straight, catching my eyes. “He just pushed me against the wall in his haste to escape. My head hit the wall. It’s nothing serious!”

“You are bleeding!” I pointed out, my voice breaking slightly.

“I am?” he murmured, touching his fingers to his forehead, flinching as it came away bloody.

“Come in!” I whispered, pulling him up, but weirdly, he seemed steadier than I felt as we rose off the floor. We returned to my flat, and I quickly closed the door behind us, locking it again. Then I advised Jin to sit down on the couch in the living room, while I got the first aid kit out of the bathroom.

“Here. Look my way” I murmured as I joined him on the couch, bringing a wet tissue to his wound, wiping away his blood. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault!” Jin insisted, catching my gaze. “I told you to call me when he turned up again, didn’t I? And I’m not seriously hurt or anything. It’s just a bruise.”

I gulped down my frantic response, instead focusing on disinfecting his wound. Before I could search for a band aid, though, Jin had grabbed my hand, making me look at him.

“Are _you_ alright?” he asked softly, squeezing my shaking hand.

I did not answer, not looking into his eyes, instead focusing on the way his hand held onto mine. I tried desperately to get a grip of myself. I hated seeming weak in front of others.

“Kame…” Jin murmured, and before I knew it, he had pulled me closer, his chin resting on my shoulder as he hugged me. I closed my eyes, taking in his scent again, and before I could help myself, I was hugging him back, burrowing my face in his neck.

“Why me?” I whispered, glad that he could not see my face when I said it. My voice already seemed fragile enough. “What have I done?”

“Nothing” Jin murmured. “It’s got nothing to do with you. Crazy people are everywhere.”

I nodded, holding onto him, feeling a little better, now that he was here. I could remember, faintly, that Jin had had such an influence on me before, when I was younger. It seemed like I had forgotten it, since then.

It was then, just when I felt like I could breathe again, that there were more knocks on the doors. Jin tensed, and I whimpered, holding onto him tighter.

Jin did not move for a moment, just listening to the continuous knocking sound on the door, which had become the personal soundtrack for my worst nightmares, before he whispered: “We should try calling the police once more. This is insane! You can’t continue to live like that!”

“They are just going to call me paranoid again” I murmured, gulping against the tightness of my throat.

“You have a witness now” he insisted. “They can’t continue to ignore you. They’ve got to do something.”

Without letting go of me, Jin fished his cell phone out of his jeans pocket, dialing.

***

Jin’s POV

Like Kame had predicted, it was no use. I really wondered what kind of instinct this stalker seemed to process, because he just disappeared again, the minute before the police turned up at Kame’s doorstep.

It seemed to be the same 2 officers that had answered Kame’s call for help yesterday. I felt sick, watching the way they looked at Kame like he was a paranoid diva, wanting to shake them and scream at them.

“I saw the guy!” I groaned angrily, glaring at both of them. “He has been terrorizing Kame last night, and tonight as well! He even pushed me against a wall as he tried to escape!” I wanted to show them my wound, to demonstrate them that the guy was real, and dangerous, but Kame had his hand on my arm, stopping me. I looked at him, starting a little as I saw the resigned look on his face.

He seemed younger suddenly, like he was 12 years old again. Young, helpless, and fragile. It made me speechless for a moment.

“It’s enough, Jin” he murmured, quietly. “Really.”

“It’s not” I murmured, as if comforting him. “You are not seeing things, Kame. You know it and I know it.” I turned back to the police officers again when he did not answer, glaring at them as I spat: “You’re the freaking _police_! You’re supposed to protect people!”

“But we can’t do anything as long as there has no crime happened!” the shorter one of them insisted, and I resisted the urge to punch him.

“So you are not going to act until he has been hurt, or even killed?!” I demanded incredulous.

“That’s not what we’ve been saying!” the other one added soothingly. “But we just can’t-“

“Enough!” I groaned, furious with them. “Just get out, if you don’t intend to help!”

Kame was quiet as I not so politely threw the police officers out of his flat. I could not believe that this was really happening. It was so obvious, that Kame was in danger, and still the police did refuse to help him! In what kind of world were we living?!

“I told you that it’s useless” Kame murmured when we were alone again, returning to the living room, sitting back down on the couch. I followed him, feeling a little helpless myself. What were we supposed to do, if the police would not be helping us? How were we supposed to get rid of this madman?!

There was a tensed silence between us, as I desperately tried to think of something to do, to say, anything to take that devastated look from Kame’s face.

It was then, that the knocking started again. Just like that, out of nothing, the guy returned, like he always did, ready to terrorize Kame once more.

Kame let out a small whimper at the noise, burying his face in his hands. I was torn for a moment, between running to the door and screaming at the guy to go away, to leave Kame alone, and comforting Kame. I decided for the latter – on one hand, the strength with which the guy had pushed me away earlier was still fresh in my memory. He was definitely strong, stronger than me, and well, if something happened to me, I could no longer protect Kame. Though, admittedly, at least then there would be some actual crime to report to the police, something to rub in their face so they would start moving their lazy asses.

I did decide against it, though, instead wrapping an arm around Kame, feeling how he was shaking under my touch. I could not even begin to imagine, the strain that all of this had on his nerves. Kame was no crybaby, I knew that, and if he was such a mess, things were pretty bad.

“Why can’t he just _go away?!”_ Kame whispered, his voice thin. “What does he want from me?!”

“That guy is crazy, Kame” I murmured, gulping. “You can’t tell what he’s thinking.”

Kame sobbed quietly in response, and it was then that I noticed that he was crying. I quickly wrapped my other arm around him as well, drawing him close to me, wanting to do _anything_ , no matter what it was, just wanting to help him in some way.

Kame clung to me in response, silently crying into my shoulder, accepting my comfort, as the knocking on the door continued.

***

By the time I had talked Kame into going to bed and try to sleep, the knocking on the door had still not stopped. While Kame was in the bathroom, I approached the door, looking through the peephole, watching incredulous how the crazy stalker still knocked on the door, as if there was no tomorrow, not seeming to get tired of it.

“You are so crazy!” I said loudly, knowing that he could hear me. “You belong locked away, you know that?!”

There was no response, not even a reaction that would show me that he had even heard me. He just kept on knocking, like the lunatic freak he was.

When we finally lay down in Kame’s bed, he seemed positively dead. It was not like Kame wasn’t used to being tired, but this was a totally different kind of stress; it was supposed to tire him out.

“Sleep” I advised him, as I could still see his open eyes shining back at me minutes after we had turned out the lights.

“I can’t” Kame murmured. “Not as long as he is still on the door.”

“Nothing will happen” I ensured him. “You sleep. I will wake you, if there is anything.”

“I don’t trust you to not nap off as well” he whispered, and I knew that he would have a point, under normal circumstances. This was different, though.

“I won’t” I promised.

And he seemed to believe me, because as far as I could tell, he was asleep a few minutes after that. I just lay there, watching how his chest raised and fell slightly with every breath in the dark, the constant knocks accompanying the silence.

The sound reminded me strangely of the movie “Jumanji”. When I had been a kid, the sound of the drums had freaked me out as soon as I heard it. My parents had often imitated the sounds, just to tease me.

I felt like that now as well. Like the rhythmic sound of the knocks would follow me in my dreams.

And then, it suddenly stopped. I blinked, listening intently, but there was silence. No noises of an attempt to break the door down would take with it, nothing.

I looked over to Kame – he did not move. Apparently, he really was asleep. I carefully stood up, trying not to wake him. Tiptoeing towards the front door.

The man was gone, but he had shoved a letter through the slit under the door. It was typed, and pretty much looked like the other ones I had seen, only that there was no more than one word on it, in huge letters.

Mine.

I stared at it, feeling sick. This guy was crazy. Positively crazy. But at least he was gone for now.

I put the letter on the kitchen table before I returned to the bedroom, contemplating if I should really show it to Kame the next morning. He was scared to death as it was.

I heard a low whimper as I walked down the corridor, coming from the bedroom. I started at it, hurrying back on an instinct, only to see that Kame was tossing in his sleep, his face twisted in a desperate expression.

“No!…” he murmured, his words unclear, and I could only understand pieces of it. “Black… No… away… Jin!”

“Kame!” I said, loud and clear, placing my hand on his shoulder, shaking him slightly. “Kame!” I repeated, a little louder still. “You are dreaming. Wake up!”

Kame gasped before finally opening his eyes, panting. He needed a moment before he could focus his eyes on mine, keeping my gaze.

“You were dreaming” I repeated.

He nodded, gulping, closing his eyes again.

“Is he gone?” he asked quietly.

I lay back down next to him, nodding. “Yes.”

He nodded back, turning to lie on his side, opening his eyes once more to look at me.

“I’m sorry for pulling you into this” he murmured, his voice strained again, and I was just opening my mouth to protest again when he continued: “I know it’s selfish, but I’m still so glad that you are here.”

I smiled slightly, reaching out to take his hand. Kame laced his fingers through mine, squeezing once, and I returned the pressure.

It didn’t take long until Kame was asleep again.

***

I hardly remembered how we managed to get up the next morning, or even get to the agency. Kame looked like the walking dead, and seriously, I did not think that I looked much better.

We met Nakamaru and Ueda in the parking lot, and they asked worried questions on our way to the dressing room. I quietly recalled last night’s happenings for them, ridding Kame of the task to tell about them himself. I was not sure he was able to.

When we finally arrived at the dressing room, Koki and Taguchi were already there, standing in the doorway, staring inside incredulous.

“What’s wrong?” Ueda asked, frowning at their expression, and Nakamaru tried to look past them, gasping when he managed to.

“That’s it” Koki murmured, seeming disgusted. “We are alerting the management, and the police. Those _are_ threads, from whichever side you look at it!”

“What are you talking about?” I asked in confusion, pushing him aside slightly to be able to see what he had been talking about

I stared in shock as I finally recognized what had happened. There was red color smeared onto both Kame’s and my mirror, words being written all over them, as if in blood.

On Kame’s mirror, there was repeatedly the word _Mine_ to be read. On mine, there was written _Die_.

I gulped, continuing to stare. I only looked up when Kame sank down to the floor next to me, burying his face in his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted: http://vflmaeuschen.blog.com/2011/11/29/multichapter-right-behind-you-chapter-3/


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>   
>  Banner by Stormy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey, everyone! Here is the next chapter. And yes, it’s going to become even more intense in this one, too. All the stress is taking it’s toll on Kame. Enjoy :)

Jin’s POV

“Kame” I murmured, hovering in front of him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry” Kame murmured, his voice tight, not looking up at me. “I’m so sorry. I should have never involved you in this. I-“

“Kame, I don’t care!” I interrupted, shaking him. “I don’t care, okay?! Let him smear whatever onto my mirror!”

“BUT I CARE!” Kame suddenly yelled, looking up at me. His eyes were glistening with tears, and he was pushing my hand away, screaming: “HE IS AFTER ME! AND NOW HE IS TARGETING YOU!”

“So what?!” I shrugged, trying to stay calm, because Kame was obviously losing it. Not that I could blame him, after everything that had happened. “If he’s targeting me because I’m protecting you, I can very well live with that!”

“Don’t you get it?! I should have never involved you!” he cried, a tear slipping past his eyelids. “This stuff is dangerous, and now he is threatening you, and-“

“KAME!” I groaned, grabbing his shoulders again, both this time, holding on against his struggle, shaking him. “I don’t care, okay?!”

“You should stay away from me!” Kame said, his voice shaking with the tears he was trying to suppress.

“The hell I will!” I groaned, firm this time. “This is what he wants, and I won’t budge to him!”

“He is right, Kame!” Nakamaru said quietly, reminding me with a start that Kame and I were not alone. “You don’t have to suffer through everything alone! It would be insane if you did.”

“Exactly” Koki backed him up. “All of us would have taken you in, if Akanishi wouldn’t have been the first to request it.”

“I don’t want all of you to take me in!” he murmured, slumping further against the door, staring miserably into space. “I don’t want to involve anyone else! It’s bad enough that I did with Jin…”

“Listen, let’s just call the police!” Taguchi spoke up. “This time they’ll have to-“

But he didn’t come farther than this, because Kame interrupted him with a loud: “NO!”, looking horrified at the suggestion.

“No?” he repeated, surprised.

“NO!” Kame nodded. “They already think that I’m insane, and I’m not gonna call them again!”

“But-“ Nakamaru began.

“No but!” Kame yelled. “I don’t trust the police! They refused to help me 2 times already, and they are just gonna lock me away if I call them again!”

“Kame, this is insane, this time is different!” Koki protested.

“No, it’s not!” Kame cried, getting up, pushing me aside to approach Koki. “Nobody is calling the police here!”

“Okay, everyone, calm down!” Ueda called, stepping between them the very moment I grabbed Kame’s arm, holding him back with a firm grip.

“I’ll just take Kame home with me” I said soothingly, catching Koki’s eye as he was going to protest. “He will wait at Kame’s apartment. He probably doesn’t even know where I live. We’ll be safe there.”

“I think that’s a good idea” Ueda nodded, seemingly catching on to my idea of not straining Kame’s already abused nerves further. Because obviously, he was _so_ close to snapping. “Kame and Jin are going to go home and get some rest.”

“What about work?” Kame asked, his voice strained.

“Screw work” I said. “We just have rehearsals today.”

“We’ll talk to the management” Nakamaru promised, jumping on the _get Kame out of here so we can talk about this in peace_ train as well. “We will think of something with them together.”

“I mean, the guy moves around freely in our agency” Taguchi added, seeming freaked out by that thought. “He can’t be that hard to catch.”

Kame looked dubious still, but I did not leave him any time to protest. Instead, I asked where he kept his back-up clothes (we always kept some at the agency, just to be safe), following him as he got them unsurely.

“Alright, deal” Ueda finally spoke up, the tone of his voice final. “We’ll talk to the management, Jin will take Kame home so he will get some peace. We’ll talk about everything else tomorrow.”

Kame looked like he wanted to say something, but in the end, he kept quiet, letting me escort him outside.

***

“I’m sorry, it’s kind of messy” I apologized nervously when we entered my apartment. “I’ve not been able to clean up the last few days. I-“ I cut myself off. No need to remind Kame why I had been unable to get anything done lately.

Kame just nodded, not seeming to mind much. I quickly rid my couch of all clothes I had thrown onto it so he could sit down, trying inconspicuously to make further chaos disappear afterwards, chattering on: “I don’t have any food here, either. I mostly order in. We can do that today too, if you want. Are you hungry? I bet you’ve not eaten in a while! We could-“

“I’m not hungry” Kame said quietly, but I ignored him, collecting the takeout service menus that were scattered all over the apartment.

“How about sushi?” I suggested, and Kame sighed, giving in with a nod.

I grabbed my phone then, hurrying to make the call, ordering a double portion of squid because I knew that it was Kame’s favorite.

I offered him something to drink after that, but since I did not really have anything in the house, all I could offer him was a glass of water, out of the sink.

I desperately tried to think of something to keep Kame’s mind occupied, to make him relax and think of something else but his stalker for a while. To coax him out of his suicidally grumpy mood.

I turned the TV on, but did not find anything interesting enough to really watch. So I turned on the play station after that, forcing Kame to play Mario Cart with me. He did, eventually, but probably just to shut me up.

We just played for a while longer, not talking, until the doorbell rang.

“That’s our food” I murmured, pressing pause to answer the door. Kame just nodded, staring at the frozen screen.

I hurried to the door, eager to not leave him alone for too long. I grabbed my purse, opening the door, smiling at the delivery guy.

“Here, your order” he said, reaching a huge plastic bag to me, and I took it from him, placing it on the floor. “Um, do you by any chance expect any visitors?” the guy suddenly asked nervously, looking over his shoulder.

I frowned at him, looking up.

“No, why?”

“Well, when I came, there was some guy in front of your door. He ran, though, when I came” he told me, frowning in confusion. “It was really weird, so I wanted to ask. Not that I chased away anyone important. Though I don’t believe I’m that scary…”

“How did he look?” I asked, noticing how I paled in realization.

“Well, he was dressed in black” he answered, frowning. “Like, all black. Coat, hat, scarf… It was creepy, actually.” When I just stared at him in shock, not answering, he asked: “Do you know him?”

“Um, you could put it like that” I said slowly, balling my fist, thinking _shit shit shit!_

There was an awkward silence, in which I tried not to freak out, until the delivery guy asked for his money. I gave it to him, my hands shaky.

Damn, how had he found us?! Had he followed us?! That could not be happening! I had wanted to get Kame out of the way, away from the stalker for just one day, and now he was here, and-

The delivery guy bid his goodbye, and I quickly closed the door behind him, double locking it.

“Damn” I muttered, not even daring to turn around. When I finally did, Kame was there, standing in the doorway to my living room, catching my eyes.

I knew that he had heard everything, of course. It was obvious from the look in his eyes.

“I’m sorry” I murmured. “I thought he would not find us here.”

Kame did not answer – he was just staring at me, and I wondered for a moment if he would break down completely now. Not that I would blame him.

Then, there was a knock on the door. And another. And another. I stared at Kame, watched how his jaw clenched and unclenched, but before I could say anything, he was approaching the door in quick steps, shoving me aside.

“Kame-“ I yelped, surprised, as he went for the key that was still stuck in the key hole, beginning to turn it. “Kame!” I called, shocked when I realized he was about to unlock the door. I grabbed his arm, struggling with him for a moment, before he yelled: “LET ME! I WILL FACE HIM AND-“

“YOU WON’T!” I yelled back, finally managing to tear his hand away from the key, catching his hands in mine. “THIS IS STUPID, AND DANGEROUS!”

“BUT HE WON’T STOP OTHERWISE!” Kame screamed, still struggling, and I wondered where he got the strength from, after all those tiring days. “I-“

“KAME!” I groaned, trying to push him backwards, away from the door. The knocking was barely to be heard, over our struggling, but it was still there, like the creepy background music it was. “STOP IT, WILL YOU?!”

Kame shoved at me suddenly, with a strength that surprised me, and I stumbled sideward’s, ungently knocking into a cupboard. I did feel the pain as a corner hit my knees, but it did not stop me from leaping at Kame when he went for the keys again.

This time, I managed to get a grip of him from the back, leaving him immobile in my arms as I pulled him backwards down the corridor, until we were in the living room again, stumbling towards the couch.

I fell onto it when the back of my knees hit the cushions, pulling Kame down with me, and he still struggled, yelling: “LET ME! I CAN’T ALWAYS RUN AWAY FROM THIS GUY!”

“I won’t allow you to put yourself in danger!” I groaned, wrestling with his arms, pushing myself on top of him, pushing him down onto the couch. “I’ve experienced how strong that guy is!” I murmured, holding both of his wrists down with one hand, straddling his thighs. “He is full able to kill you, and I won’t-“

“THEN LET HIM!” Kame cried, his voice shrill. “AT LEAST THEN IT WILL BE OVER!”

At this sentence, my brain stopped working. Out of an instinct, I grabbed a glass of water from the couch table, emptying it into Kame’s face.

Kame stopped struggling, and there was a short silence. Nothing was to be heard besides our panting, and the constant knocking on the door.

“Better?” I asked, breathless.

Kame nodded, gulping. His hands were shaking again, under my grip, and he balled them into fists, biting his lip to keep the tears back that were welling up again in his eyes.

“Sorry” he whispered.

I nodded, letting go of his hands again, looking down at him.

“Never say anything like that again!”  I hissed, almost dangerously. “I won’t let him hurt you. And I won’t let you let him hurt you either.”

A tear rolled down Kame’s cheeks, and I leaned down to hug him again, not minding that my body was still pushing his down into the couch, just wanting to hold him close. I was not sure if it was the water I had spilled into his face, or his tears, that wetted my neck.

***

The guy did not disappear for the rest of the night. He mixed the knocking with ratting on the doorknob, as if he was hoping the thing would give away if he only shook it long enough. It was never enough, though, to seriously break in, so I just let him, instead concentrating on Kame, who I was still hugging close to me, unwilling to let go.

Kame did not let go, either. He continued clinging to me, burying his head in my neck as if hoping that all of it would disappear if only he ignored it long enough.

After a while, Kame had stopped shaking, and was breathing evenly against my skin, and I realized that he had actually drifted off to sleep. I tried to find a more comfortable position on the couch after that, draping a blanket over him, still not letting go – if for his sake, or mine, I was not so sure anymore.

I was just sure that the way I felt Kame breathe in my arm, the way his heart beat in his veins, kept me from losing my mind myself. It reminded me of what I wanted to protect, and why I was not storming out there right now, grabbing myself a knife and stabbing this madman until he would never move again.

 _Kame_. It would do Kame no good to get myself into prison. So I stayed here, on my couch, listening to the sound of those knocks until the death of the night, holding onto Kame’s sleeping form for dear life.

***

By the time my alarm went off, the knocking was gone again. I did not remember the moment it had stopped, though. I had probably drifted off to sleep before it had.

Kame did not stir from the alarm, and it told me a lot about how exhausted he was that it did not wake him. He usually had a really light sleep, waking up from almost everything.

For a moment, I contemplated if I should just let him sleep and call in a sick day at work for both of us. His body seemed so still and warm against mine that I did not dare to move.

Then, I thought better of it. The guys had promised to speak to the management last night. Maybe, they had made any progress. Maybe they had a plan. They guy had to disappear, after all. I was not sure Kame would survive another night like this.

So I reluctantly moved my lips to his ear, calling his name softly, gently nudging at his shoulder until he opened his eyes. He seemed disorientated, and it took a moment for him to understand that it was time to get up and get to work.

It pained me to watch how little like himself Kame was by now. It seemed like this whole thing was slowly destroying him from the inside, and I knew that we had to do something. Fast, before the damage was irreparable.

We hardly talked on our way to the agency. I felt the tiredness eating at me as well, and it felt hard, to come up with anything smart to say when I felt so wobbly myself.

Kame seemed past comforting words anyways, though, staring off into space while I drove.

When I had finally parked the car and brought us up to the dressing room, the rest of the band was already there, waiting for us. One look at Kame and me spared them the question if the guy had been at my apartment last night as well.

Instead, they introduced us to the results of their talk with our manager. He had agreed with them, thankfully, that there was no way that this situation could be tolerated any longer, and had requested for an emergency meeting with Johnny yesterday still. He had told them that he would contact them, as soon as they had talked things through.

We did not even bother to start rehearsing that day, instead sitting together in the dressing room, waiting for our manager to call. We figured that even Kame, the greatest workaholic we ever met, was in no state to work right now.

We did not talk much, either. We only sat there, in silence, until Ueda and I requested to get some coffee for all of us. Koki followed us, apparently wanting to get away from the tense atmosphere.

“I’ve never seen Kame like this” he told us quietly, on our way to the vending machine. “This is sick. I want to do something.”

“Tell me about it” I murmured, fishing a few coins out of my purse.

“Something definitely has to be done” Ueda said firmly. “It can’t continue like this. It feels like Kame is going to throw himself off the rainbow bridge the moment we leave him out of sight.”

I gulped, reminded of our struggle last night.

“It can’t continue like that” I nodded. “It’s destroying him.”

“Well, it would destroy everyone, I guess” Koki admitted. “I don’t think anyone of us could cope better with it.”

Ueda nodded, and then we arrived at the vending machine.

When we returned to the dressing room a few minutes later, I stood at the door, blinking into the room, almost spilling the coffee in my hand.

Was I already seeing things? Was I that deprived of sleep that I-

“Where is Kame?” Koki asked suspiciously, telling me that I was not seeing things, and that Kame was _indeed_ gone, leaving only Taguchi and Nakamaru in the room.

“He got a call from Johnny-San” Nakamaru explained. “He was called into his office. Shortly after you went. They probably want to talk about the situation with him.”

Koki and Ueda seemed satisfied with this explanation, sitting down again, reaching the others their paper cups, but I still stood in the door, frozen, staring at them incredulous.

“Wait” I said slowly, carefully. “Did someone go with him?”

“No” Taguchi shrugged. “He went alone. I mean, the office is not that far.”

“You let him go _alone_?!” I asked, incredulous.

The others stared up at me, frowning. Only Koki seemed to get my point, his eyes wide as he caught eyes with me.

“Well, yes” Taguchi nodded.

“I repeat” I groaned, my voice turning louder in anger and panic. “There is a stalker running around this agency. Freely. And you let him go _alone_?!”

Nakamaru froze, too, as if recognizing his mistake. Taguchi still seemed dubious.

“He just needs to get into the elevator and go up” he said defensively. “It takes a minute. Maybe two.”

“You know what” Ueda spoke up, fishing his phone out of his jacket. “Let’s just call at Johnny’s office, to ask if he arrived. It’s been almost ten minutes. He’s bound to be there by now.”

“Exactly” Taguchi nodded. “You’re freaking out over nothing, Akanishi!”

I glared at him before redirecting my eyes to Ueda, watching him as he dialed, pressed call and held the phone to his ear.

“Hello, Ueda Tatsuya here” he finally said. “I just wanted to check if Kamenashi-Kun already arrived at the office. He was called over, right?”

There was a short silence, and Ueda’s eyes widened slowly.

“What do you mean, he’s not there?!” he demanded, his voice high suddenly.

I let the coffee cups in my hands drop, and turned around, running.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yes, I know you’re gonna hate me for this cliffhanger ;) So sorry… Anyways, I just wanted to tell all of you who’ve been wondering: The last Chapter of Genki is in process, don’t worry, it will come. I just need to write to the end of it.
> 
> Originally posted: http://vflmaeuschen.blog.com/2011/12/05/multichapter-right-behind-you-chapter-4/


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>   
>  Banner by Stormy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The next chapter :) I know most of you screamed at me to not let anything happen to Kame… Well, I’m afraid I was not able to prevent it. Sorry to everyone ;) I hope you’re not too shocked… ~~Well, you will be, sorry XD~~

Jin’s POV

“KAME!” I called desperately, running down the corridors frantically, Koki after me. “KAME! ANSWER!”

“He can’t have gotten that far, can he?!” Koki called desperately. “It’s been just a few minutes!”

“A few minutes are enough for that lunatic to kidnap and kill him!” I yelled back, my voice high and with a hysteric edge to it.

I had been through a lot of straining situations in the last few days, but this was nothing to compare. I could not remember ever having been that scared before. The imagination that Kame was in the hands of this stalker, that something could be happening to him right now… It tore me apart. We needed to find him. Now.

“I’m trying to call him!” Ueda yelled, having caught up to us finally, raising his cell phone to his ear. “Just calm down, will you? Maybe he just went to the washroom on the way, I mean-“

He fell silent when the faint sound of a cell phone was to be heard. I stood, freezing as I stared down the empty corridors. I tried to listen more closely, but it was hard, my blood was rushing so loud that it almost over tuned the faint sound of the phone.

“That’s Kame’s ringtone” Koki whispered, looking around frantically. “Where does it come from?!”

“KAME?!” Ueda yelled, but I shushed him, trying to drown out the frantic sound of my heart beat as I forced myself to listen. Until I figured that the sound was coming from our right.

I turned slowly, staring at a closed door. A little sign next to it said “Storage Room”.

“KAME!” I called, leaping for the door, tearing it open just the moment Kame’s phone stopped ringing.

“Voice Mail” I heard Ueda murmur.

I had to blink for a moment against the darkness inside the room in front of me. I could make out a few shelves full of office supplies, but no persons, though I thought I could hear someone breathing somewhere.

Then, there was a loud thumping from a corner, and I stepped inside, looking around frantically.

“KAME!” I called. “Are you here?! Say something!”

I heard a faint whimper, and it shot through me like a knife. Desperately, I searched for the light switch, hitting my hand against the wall next to the doorway, but not having any success, in my panic. Ueda was the one who stood behind me then, shoving Koki out of the way and turning on the lamp in his cell phone, holding it into the room.

It was then, that I could finally make out figures. Kame was there, on the floor, held down by a dark, tall figure, who had one hand on his mouth, keeping him from making any noises, and one hand out of my sight, but when I could make out Kame’s torn shirt and seemingly loose jeans, I was not sure I still wanted to know.

Kame’s eyes met mine then, and the look in his eyes made me move from my immobile shock as blind anger ran through me, strong enough to kill or at least hurt badly anyone who had ever dared to come too close to Kame.

“TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF OF HIM!” I yelled, and before I knew it, or Ueda or Koki could even react, I leaped at the figure hovering over Kame. Apparently catching him by surprise, I wrestled the guy down, away from Kame, and with one surprised yelp from him, I had him pinned down.

After that, everything was a blur. I was pretty sure that I had given the guy under me a few blows in the face before Koki arrived, pinning the guy down as well. The light was turned on, and I could hear the voices of Nakamaru and Taguchi, as they arrived. Ueda, telling Taguchi to get the security, before he joined me and Koki, grabbing my arm with one hand, and helping us hold down the struggling figure underneath us with the other. I did not even realize I was striking out again until I felt him hold me back.

“We’ve got him!” he hissed, making me come back from my blind angry rush. “Leave him to me and Koki. Take care of Kame.”

Kame’s name made my hot blood freeze in my veins. My sense of protection for him battled my anger for a moment, and won, as I finally turned around, trying to make out Kame through the chaos.

He was slouched against a wall, shaking visibly as Nakamaru was kneeling next to him, trying to loosen the knot of whatever was holding Kame’s hands together behind his back. Apparently, the bastard had tied him up.

I finally let go of the guy underneath me, letting Koki and Ueda take care of him. I almost stumbled in my hurry to get to Kame’s side. When I finally reached him, my hand automatically flew to his shoulder. Feeling how his body trembled underneath my touch, I whispered Kame’s name softly.

He did not look up at me, not even at Nakamaru when he finally managed to untie him. He let the leather belt which had apparently been used drop to the floor, gulping as he stared at it, looking frightened and unsure of what to say. For a moment, I was distracted by the red angry bruises on Kame’s wrists, from when he had apparently struggled against his bonds, but Kame’s ragged breathing made me redirect my eyes to his face.

I bit back a gasp, as I saw bruises on his temples, the blood that was running down the side of his face having mixed with the tears that were still slipping his eyes, though he was biting his lip, apparently trying to hold them.

All of my insides seemed to contract at the realization of what he had been through just now. His shirt was still torn open, and his shaking fingers went to his jeans, apparently wanting to zip them back shut, but I kept him from it when my arms suddenly went around him, drawing him close to me. His shoulder hit my chest, and he struggled weakly, but I did not let him, holding him close as I rested my forehead on his shaking shoulder blade.

“I’m sorry” I whispered. “I’m sorry I was not there. I said I was not going to let him hurt you, but-“

Kame made a choking noise, shaking his head, but apparently not being able to form a clear sentence as his breath hitched, and he struggled again, eager on dressing himself halfway decently again quickly.

He managed to fumble a little through my grip, but I did not let go of him, clinging to his shaking figure, irrationally hoping that if I only held him close enough, all of it would disappear.

I did not let go of him until Taguchi returned with a security member.

***

“It’s my fault” Nakamaru murmured hours later, as we all sat in a corridor of the police headquarters. Kame was being questioned, and all of us had been told to wait here after we had made our testimony as well.

We had been sitting here for more than an hour now, in silence, too shell-shocked by what had happened to bring up the energy to talk. Or at least, that was what I was feeling.

“It’s no use” Ueda sighed, seeming pained. “To put the blame on anyone. What Kame needs now is our support. I mean, he has just been raped, for heaven’s sake!”

I flinched at the harsh reality, balling my hand into a fist, struggling to breathe evenly.

“Still” Nakamaru murmured. “I should have accompanied him. One of us should have…” he looked to Taguchi for help, but he sat just next to him, staring into space, apparently not able to say anything.

“It’s too late for should have’s and if’s” Koki murmured, slouched in his chair, looking like a puppet which’s strings had been cut. “And if there’s anyone to blame, it’s the fucking asshole that did it.”

“Can you believe he was the caretaker?” Taguchi murmured, shaking his head. “Of course that guy did have access to the dressing room. And probably to the offices, too. It was so easy for him, to get all the information he needed, and run around unnoticed.”

I closed my eyes, trying to not listen any longer. I felt sick. Sick at the thought that this monster had touched Kame. Of what he had done to him… How Kame must feel right now…

“Well, at least, he’ll be locked away now” Ueda said firmly. “He can’t hurt Kame any longer. The spook is over.”

“Yeah” Koki murmured quietly. “But at what price…?”

We fell silent again, and then a door opened. We looked up in time to see a police officer approach us.

“You are the friends of Kamenashi-San?” he asked quietly, and we nodded, standing up to face him.

“From the reports of Kamenashi-San and our examinations, it was intended rape” he explained in a quiet voice. “The follow through was luckily interrupted by your interference, but that does not lessen the sexual harassment Kamenashi-San suffered, of course.”

“How is he?” I murmured, my voice stuck in my throat slightly since I hadn’t talked in a while. I cleared my throat.

“He is still being questioned by my colleagues” the officer answered. “They should be done with him soon, though. From all I can tell, he is very closed in on himself, probably still under shock. Does he have family or anyone who he can go to after this?” he asked, looking up at us.

“He can come to me” I immediately blurted out, and Ueda added: “He can come to all of us. We won’t leave him alone tonight, that much is for sure.”

“That’s good” the officer nodded. “He seems rather composed, at the moment, but such events are traumatizing. It would be no good to leave him alone with all of this. We offered him psychological help, but he turned it down.”

Of course he would, I thought. It was not like Kame, to admit that he needed help.

“What about the culprit?” Koki asked finally.

“For a first, he is being put into a closed psychological institution, until the law suit is set” the officer explained. “You don’t need to worry about him any longer.”

“Well, we wouldn’t have needed to worry about him at all if the police had been willing to help us earlier, when we called them” I groaned dangerously, my anger and frustration refacing for a moment.

“The two colleagues’ behavior will be seriously looked upon, of course” the officer said immediately, bowing in apology. “We are deeply sorry for it.”

I did not answer, looking away instead. They could stick their apology wherever they wanted. Now it was too late. What good was an apology now?

I only directed my eyes back when the door opened again, and Kame stepped out.

“Kame” I murmured, pushing past the officer to get to him immediately, the others at my heels.

Kame did not meet our eyes, only nodding at us. He was not shaking anymore, and not crying either, like when I had last seen him more than an hour ago, but he was very pale, and very distant. The wound on his forehead was patched up with a band aid, but there were other bruises visible still, like on his throat and hands. I gulped against the lump in my throat.

“How are you, Kame?” Nakamaru asked quietly, his voice almost a whisper. He was reaching out to touch his shoulder, but Kame backed away only ever so slightly, as if on an instinct, and Nakamaru drew his hand back quickly.

“I’m okay” he answered quietly, clearing his throat. “No serious injuries.”

We were all very aware that physical pain was not the problem here, but we did not comment on it.

“Come on, Kame” I said quietly, trying to urge him to look at me, but he didn’t. “Let’s get out of here. I’ll take you to my place. You still have your things there, after all.”

“Actually” Kame murmured, gulping, his eyes set downwards. “Actually, I would like to go home. I just want to be alone.”

“I can take you home” I answered slowly, frowning slightly. “But I’m not leaving you alone. Not after what happened.”

“He’s right, Kame” Ueda said soothingly, his voice soft. “You can come to anyone of us, whoever you like. You can also go to your family, if you want that. But we’re not leaving you alone. It’s either one or the other.”

Kame licked his lips, seeming to not like that fact very much, but instead of protesting, he just said: “Fine. Then I’m going with Jin.”

I nodded, resisting the urge to reach out and take his hand. Kame did not seem like he wanted to be touched.

***

The others were reluctant, to just leave Kame to me, but after Kame had voiced several times that he actually just wanted to be alone, they had finally let it drop, thinking it better not to force themselves onto him if he didn’t want their company.

I also tried my best to respect his personal space when we were finally alone. I stayed silent when I noticed that he did not want to talk. I did not reach out to him, no matter how much I wanted to. I even told him that, if he wanted to be alone, he could be, if only he stayed in my apartment. He had only nodded, in response to that.

“Do you want anything to drink?” I asked quietly, when we had finally arrived in my doorway, getting rid of our shoes. “Or eat? I still have yesterday’s sushi in the fridge…”

“No, I don’t…” he murmured, frowning as he continued: “Actually, I would like… could I take a shower?”

“Sure” I nodded, realizing that _of course_ , that would be what he wanted, after everything that had… “You can also take a bath, if you want. Take your time.”

He nodded, letting me search him a towel before he disappeared in the bathroom. I only stood there, after he had closed the door, staring at it helplessly.

I desperately wondered what I could do to help him. He was trying to be strong again, I could tell, but I was not sure how to deal with it. I did not want to say anything wrong. What did you say to someone who had just been practically raped?

When I heard him let water into the bathtub, I forced myself to move from my position in front of the bathroom door, occupying myself with some cleaning. I packed my things away from the living room. I cleaned the kitchen, washing dishes.

When I was done with all of that, I took a look at the watch, seeing that it had been almost an hour since Kame had gone to the bathroom. It seemed a long time, to me. I was silent for a moment, listening intently for any movement from inside, which could tell me if he was getting out or –

I started when I heard the faint sound of a sob. I bit my tongue, contemplating for a moment if I should just ignore it politely, but then deciding that I couldn’t. No matter if he wanted to be left alone, I cared too much for him to be able to do it.

I crossed the distance to the bathroom door, knocking one time.

“Kame?” No reaction. “Kame, I’m coming in now!” I warned, waiting another moment before I gently opened the door, peaking inside.

Kame was still sitting in the bathtub, his knees raised to his chest, his chin resting on them as he stared right ahead, silent tears running down his face. The image alone was enough for me to feel the burning in my throat as well, but I tried to hold it back. It would do no good for me to cry now as well. I needed to be there for him.

“Kame” I said softly, crossing the distance to him, sitting down on the cold tiles in front of the tub. I looked at him, but he did not meet my eyes.

“You should get out” I whispered. “The water is getting cold.” When he did not answer, I dipped my fingertips into the water. It was cold already. “You’re gonna catch a cold” I murmured, worried, reaching for his towel. “Kame!” I murmured unhappily, as he did still not move.

His lip quivered, and he turned his head away from me, as if he could still hide that he was crying. I gulped, letting the towel drop, instead standing up again, sitting down on the edge of the tub. I did not care that my clothes got soaked slightly. I only reached out for Kame, hugging him close. His skin was cold when I touched it, and I could feel light shivers running through his body, if from the cold or the tears, I was not so sure.

He did not speak, and he did not struggle, either, just letting me hug him for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Once again, I’m sorry :) Don’t blame me, blame the stalker XD
> 
> Originally posted: http://vflmaeuschen.blog.com/2011/12/13/multichapter-right-behind-you-chapter-5/


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>   
>  Banner by Stormy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The final chapter to this series. Sad, somehow :) Anyways, thanks for all your support, your enthusiasm really meant a lot to me!

Jin’s POV

I don’t know how long I had just sat there, hugging Kame, until another shiver down his spine woke me up from my daze.

Cold water. Kame in it. _Cold_.

“Kame” I murmured finally, letting go of him. I tried to catch his gaze, but he was still staring ahead, avoiding eye-contact with me. “Kame, you need to get out of the water.” No reaction. “I don’t care if I have to carry you!” I threatened gently. There was a short moment of silence, before Kame closed his eyes, sighing before nodding at last.

I suppressed my sigh of relief, turning around, grabbing my bathrobe that was still hanging on a hook on the door, while I heard him move out of the water behind my back. I waited politely until he had fastened the towel around his waist, before I turned back to him, draping the bathrobe over his shoulders.

“Thanks” he whispered, still without looking at me.

“Come on!” I murmured, sneaking a hand around his shoulder, applying slight pressure to make him move out of the bathroom. I led him into the living room, making him sit down on the couch. I got a glass of water from the kitchen before I took the place next to him, giving it to him. He took it, much to my relief, taking a few sips. I could hardly remember when I had last seen him eat anything else than a few snacks out of the agency’s selling machines. I did not want him to pass out on dehydration now, as well.

I watched him for a moment, my eyes tracing over his red, puffy ones, to the band aid on his temple, to the bruises on his neck and throat. The anger inside of me began boiling again at the thoughts of what that monster had done to him. I should have given him more than a few blows when I had had him between my fingers. I-

“Don’t look at me like that.”

Kame’s voice broke my train of thoughts, and I frowned as he grabbed the neck of the bathrobe, tugging on it until it covered his neck, too. I ran my tongue over my dry lips in nervousness, not sure what to answer to that.

“Kame-“ I began.

“Can’t you just leave me alone?” he continued, putting the glass back onto the couch table before crossing his arms in front of his chest. It looked like he was trying to hug himself close. Maybe he was scared to be falling apart if he didn’t hold himself physically together.

“No” I said finally, shaking my head firmly. The hell I would.

“Why?” he murmured faintly, and I watched a tear that was hanging in his lashes, not quite falling.

“Because I care too much” I answered honestly. “I want to be there for you when you suffer.”

His lids fell shut, and the tear slipped out. Without thinking, I reached out, catching it on its way down his cheekbone with my thumb. Kame opened his eyes again as he felt my touch, and as if on an instinct, slapped my hand away.

“Don’t touch me” he whispered, his voice strained.

I froze, blinking. The words were like a blow to my stomach.

“Why?” I enquired.

“Just BECAUSE!” Kame suddenly yelled, and I flinched as he got up from the couch, continuing: “Don’t act like it doesn’t disgust you! Don’t act all understanding and sweet! I’m disgusted by myself, damnit!”

I stared at him in confusion, watching as another tear slipped his eyes, running down his cheeks. He wiped at them angrily, looking away from me.

“You could never disgust me” I said finally, my voice incredulous. “What are you talking about?!”

“Don’t lie” he croaked, catching his breath. “I still feel his touch everywhere, no matter if I wash it away or not. I feel so dirty.”

“You are not dirty!” I protested indignantly, this time not as gentle, because finally, I had caught on to what he was feeling, and it was wrong! “You are still yourself, Kame, no matter what that guy did to you!”

Kame shook his head, wanting to say something more, but I cut him off as I stood up from the couch, and pulled him into my arms.

“Stop!” he choked, trying to struggle against my grip. “Let go!” But I did not ease my hug. Instead, I rested my forehead on the side of his head, breathing in his scent.

“This doesn’t change anything” I whispered, not letting myself be distracted by Kame’s struggles. “You are still the same bossy brat I met that day during the casting. The one that somehow managed to charm me into liking him the very first minute, and still does. And no matter what happens to you, I’m not gonna stop caring for you. You could never disgust me. That guy does. Not you.”

Finally, Kame stopped struggling and turned his head, looking up at me. I rested my forehead on his, careful to avoid the band aid, holding his gaze, and Kame broke. He let out a sob, and I put my arms around him tighter as he cried into my chest, letting me hold him close.

I bit my lip as I tried to hold my own tears. I had seen Kame cry so much in the last few days, but this time was different, somehow even more intense, maybe because I had gotten a glimpse of what he was feeling, and it broke my heart along with his. I rested my cheek against his hair as my tears slipped as well, glad that he was not seeing my face right now.

I was not sure if he could see the tearstains when he finally raised his head again to catch my eyes, but he did not let onto it. Instead, we just looked at each other, holding our gazes, as if it would be some kind of comfort. Then, Kame murmured: “Thank you.” His voice was thin, low and unclear, but I still got it.

I was not quite sure what he was thanking me for, exactly, but I still returned: “Always.” Because whatever it was that I was doing, I would always do it again and again, for him.

Kame’s hold on my shirt tightened, and he closed his eyes before he stood on the tip of his toes and leaned up, until his lips touched mine.

I closed my eyes, letting it happen. Under normal circumstances, I’d have probably freaked out. This was different, though. I had not planned for this to happen, not expected it, but it did not keep me from kissing him back, moving my lips against his softly.

When Kame broke the kiss, I instinctively moved a hand into his hair, holding him close, unwilling to let him go. I could still feel his breath on my face, and I enjoyed the nearness, closing my eyes at the feeling.

I only opened them again, when Kame whispered: “Make me forget. Please, Jin.”

I caught his gaze, unsure of what to do for a moment. Was he really serious, or did he just search for comfort? If I gave in now, would he regret it later?

But at the desperation in his eyes, I decided that I did not care. Did not want to ponder. Even if it was only for comfort, fuck it, he deserved it. And I could not deny to myself that I wanted to feel him. So I crossed the short distance between us, bringing our lips together again, kissing him softly.

Kame’s arms tightened around me as he returned the kiss, clumsy and eager, but I did not care. I just fastened my fingers in his silky mess of hair, holding his face close as I opened my mouth, granting his tongue access.

It was hard, to keep the kiss slow and sweet with Kame’s frantic manner. I stumbled a little backwards when he pushed me towards the couch again, only hardly avoiding falling over my own feet as I plopped back down into the cushions, Kame following me, sitting down next to me as he continued to kiss me as if I was his only hope for salvation. I tried my best, though, to keep a slow pace – I did not want to go fast, both for him and for myself. I wanted to feel him, to take my time to caress him and heal his wounds the best I could. Not rush to quick satisfaction.

It took a while until Kame caught on to that, but when he did, he left me the lead. He let me slip my hands under his bathrobe, caressing his shoulders and back. He leaned into my touch, giving me the reassurance that he wanted it, too, and that I was not doing anything wrong, because that fear still kept lurking in the back of my mind, after everything that had happened today.

When Kame broke our kiss the next time, to come up for air, I continued to kiss down his cheek and his neck, lingering a little on the bruises there. I felt Kame tense slightly, not like he wanted me to stop, but like he was fighting flashbacks from when this bastard had touched him where I did now. He held onto me even tighter, and I went even slower, giving him a chance to stop me if he wanted to. He didn’t.

I took my time, caressing him everywhere I could reach, slow and gentle. Down his back. Up his arms, feeling his muscles contract under my touch. Over his shoulder, along his collarbone. Over his chest, down to his belly. Around his waist, his hips. I could tell, when I repeated movements he had done, and it hurt me, to notice him tense, or to see another tear slip his closed eyes.

“Shall I stop?” I asked after a while, because I just could not shake off the worry. Every time Kame tensed under my fingers, it pressed down on my heart, and I felt like I was hurting him with my touch, not healing him.

“No” Kame breathed out, immediately, opening his eyes to look up at me. They were pleading and desperate, and I just had to believe them. Wanted to believe them.

I reached out for one of his hands, kissing the bruised spots on his wrist before I led it under my own shirt. I wanted him to touch me, too. It would help me feel that this was mutual, not just some repetition of his experience with this guy.

He caught on, running his hand over my stomach, making me shudder with the gentle touch. Kame raised his other hand, too, tugging at the hem of my shirt without pausing his other hand on me. I raised my arms, letting him undress me.

I mustered his face, but Kame’s eyes were on my body, tracing the path his hands left. I leaned towards him, catching his lips with mine again, gently pushing him to lie down on his back. The bathrobe stayed crumbled at his hips, covering the lower part of his body as our groins pressed against each other. Kame moaned slightly, and I could feel that he was hard. It encouraged me, told me that I was doing something right.

I bend down to kiss down his chest, lingering at his tiny nipples, nibbling on them. Kame sighed, running his hands over my back, urging me on. I was making an effort to stay gentle, to not apply too much pressure, because I felt that I wanted to make a noticeable difference to _him_. He had not been gentle with Kame, one could see it at the bruises covering all his body. So I wanted to be.

My hands roamed over his stomach and waist while I was still kissing his nipples, until Kame removed one of his hands from my back, laying it on one of mine. I stilled, first thinking he wanted to stop me, but he just laced his fingers through mine, moving both of our hands downwards, into his bathrobe.

I let him lead my hand until I was touching his hardness. He gasped, pressing my hand onto him, moving his hips slightly for more friction. I let him move my hand over himself, thankful that he was showing me what he wanted, that he lifted me of my doubts.

Kame’s breathing picked up slightly, and I kissed down his stomach, removing the bathrobe from his hips completely. Kame lifted his hips only hesitantly, taking his hand from mine to keep balance, and I wondered if he was still reluctant, to show himself to me completely. Touching seemed to work alright, but those were probably two different pair of shoes. Maybe he was still considering himself somewhat dirty, and that was why he wanted to hide himself.

I decided to give him no time to think about it. My hand stayed on him, stroking his hardness until he trembled, and when he closed his eyes, I bend down, running my lips over his tip gently, kissing the sensitive skin. Kame moaned in surprise, fisting the material of the couch cushions, and encouraged by that, I opened my mouth, engulfing him.

It was unfamiliar, but not as uncomfortable as I would have suspected. I had never thought that it would come this easy for me, to give head to a man. But it was Kame, and that was probably what was doing the trick.

I moved my lips up and down, fisting his balls with my hand, running my other up his chest as I moved my tongue around him. Kame shivered, and his other hand went from my back to my hair, fisting it, seeming to need to hold onto me for support.

I repeated my actions for a while, sucking on him, loving the reactions I got, until Kame pulled on my hair, making me release him and look up at him.

His breathing was frantic, and he gulped before he was able to speak.

“Not yet” he murmured, incoherent. “I want to… feel you… I…”

I needed a moment to get what he meant. When I finally did, though, I blinked, not having expected _this_.

“Are – are you sure?” I stuttered. “I mean, I-“ I was not sure what to say, and then I was distracted by the dejected look in Kame’s eyes, noticing that _fuck_ , there I had gone and said something wrong.

“Forget it” Kame murmured, casting his eyes downwards, seeming embarrassed. “I mean, you don’t need to, if you don’t want to, I just-“

“No!” I interrupted him, panicking. “This is not what I’m saying, I’m just-“ I gulped, catching his hand in mine, lacing our fingers so he would look up at me. “I’m sorry” I apologized. “I haven’t done it before, that’s why.”

“Me neither” Kame murmured, finally catching my eyes again, looking unsure. “I just thought-“

I bend down to catch his lips with mine, keeping him from explaining himself. He didn’t need to.

While I kissed him, I desperately tried to figure out the logistics of this. I faintly remembered that I’d once had a drunk conversation with one of Ryo’s gay buddies, and he had uninvitedly informed me about his sex life, and I had tried to push it in the back of my mind afterwards, but now, I was desperate for any information.

I squeezed Kame’s hand, which I was still holding onto, before breaking our kiss.

“Let’s move this to the bedroom” I suggested. I still remembered having some kind of lube in my dresser…

Kame nodded, continuing to kiss me as we stood up and stumbled through my flat, towards the bedroom. Kame’s hands went for my belt, on the way, trying to undo my pants as my elbow painfully hit the doorframe.

I pushed Kame onto the bed gently, making him lower himself down on it before I broke the kiss, looking at him.

“Lay down” I whispered. “I just need a moment!”

Kame looked confused, so I kissed him once more, short and sweet, before I leaped for the drawer of my cupboard, almost falling to the floor because of my half open pants. I felt Kame’s eyes on me as I rummaged through my underwear desperately until my fingers came in contact with a small plastic bottle. _Thank god._

I grabbed it firmly, closing the drawer again and slipping out of my jeans before joining Kame on the bed, avoiding his confused questions as I just kissed him again.

Luckily, Kame was easily distracted like that, his hands moving over my body, making me shiver with his feather light touches. I lifted the cover, making him lie down on the matrices before I joined him, covering our bodies with it.

I tried to calm Kame down, with gentle strokes over his skin and soft kisses, but my little slip had obviously reawakened his tension, and I cursed myself for it. I traced my hands down his body once more, until I found his hardness again, stroking him slowly. Kame moaned, his own hands going for my underwear, his fingers slipping under the waistband. I had to moan as well, when he fisted my erection in the small space. While my one hand continued to stroke him, the other fumbled with the bottle of lube, somehow managing to open it and pour something into my palm. I let it drop to the matrices, not caring at the moment if it left any stains, lowering my hand until I found his hole. Kame gasped slightly at the contact, and I gulped, being careful as I slowly slipped a finger inside. The last thing I wanted was to hurt Kame now.

Kame tensed at my touch, if out of surprise or pain, I could not tell. I did not dare to ask, though, either, scared to ruin the mood again, so I moved slowly, gently, trying to loosen his tight, contracting walls.

Kame’s breathing caught, before it sped up slightly. I tried to be aware of every reaction he made, every move of his body, every tension, every gasp. It was then that I apparently went in with the right angle, hitting a point that made Kame moan out. It encouraged me, and I tried to repeat the motion over and over again, making him quiver under my touch.

I inserted another finger, loosening his walls a little more, noticing how his skin became slick from sweat the longer I took. Kame moaned again, his fingers tugging on my underwear weakly.

“Jin” he whispered, out of breath. “Please, I-“ There was another moan, and I decided to give in, removing my fingers. I squirmed out of my underwear, throwing it off the bed together with the bottle of lube, and Kame sneaked his arms around my neck again, pulling me down to kiss him.

I lowered myself onto him, tracing the bruises on his neck slightly, making Kame shiver, but not tense. I sincerely hoped he had forgotten all about today’s events if only for those few minutes now.

I moved my hands to Kame’s knees then, making him pull them up a little so I had an easier access. I gulped when my erection poked his hole, holding onto him, trying to force myself to go slow.

When I finally entered him, his walls were so tight that I felt overwhelmed. Kame tensed slightly, clinging to me as I moved, and when I had finally gone in completely, I stayed still, giving him a moment to adjust.

“Does it hurt?” I asked, my voice strained because he was so tight around me I could hardly keep from coming on the spot. My worry for him kept me somewhat sane, though.

“No” Kame whispered, and for once, from the tone of his voice, I really believed him.

So I began to move, keeping a slow pace, like I had done all evening. Kame removed one of his hands from my back, searching my own with it, and I laced my fingers through his, holding onto it as I moved inside of him.

When I felt that I was coming close, I squeezed my other hand between our bodies, stroking his stomach softly before finding his hardness in my hand, stroking him.

Kame lifted his hips slightly at the touch, straining himself against me, and it gave me a new angle, making me go in even deeper. He moaned loudly as I apparently found that one spot again, and it did take only a few more thrusts of this before he came into my hand. His whole body tensed, and he moaned my name as his walls clenched down on me, making me go over the edge as well, holding onto his hand as I rode out both of our orgasms.

It took all my willpower not to collapse onto him as dead weight, but move out and lie down next to him. Kame turned, holding onto my hand as he rolled onto his side, his back leaning against my chest, my arm around him. I tightened my grip on him as we just lay there, catching our breath, cuddled into each other.

Soon after that, I noticed that Kame’s breath had evened out, and he was asleep in my arms. I held him firmly in my arms, listening to the sound of his breathing, and it calmed me down enough to make me drift away as well.

***

_I was running through deserted corridors, which distantly reminded me of those in the agency buildings. I was panting, searching._

_“Kame?” I called, my voice bouncing off from the corridors. “Kame!” I tried again, desperate, running further down the hallway._

_Then I heard the faint sound of Kame’s ringtone, starting, searching for a door, but there was none. Instead, there was the sound of a laughter, and Kame whimpering._

_“KAME!” I called again, but the corridor was disappearing, and-_

I woke up, my hand immediately stretching out over the matrices next to me, coming in touch with nothing.

“Kame?” I murmured, sitting up with a start, realizing that I was alone in bed.

I jumped up, panicky, fastening the blanket around my body as I stumbled towards the door, pushing it open quickly.

“Kame?!” I called into the flat, hurrying down the corridor. “Kame-“

I stopped in my tracks as I saw him in the kitchen, dressed in one of his training pants and a T-Shirt, making coffee. He had his hair pulled back into a pony tail and looked up at me.

“Morning” he said quietly. “Coffee?”

I blinked, nodding, though I had not quite realized what I was agreeing to. Kame got out two cups of the cupboard, and I watched as he worked in my kitchen as if his was his own. As if nothing had happened yesterday, and this was just like any other day. Well, assuming that he had woken up in my bed, on such a normal day.

“Thanks for last night” he spoke up again finally, without looking up at me. “And for all the days before, I guess. Thanks for being there for me.”

“Always” I murmured, still perplexed at the unexpected situation, crossing the distance towards him in slow steps. “Are you feeling better?” I asked quietly, unsurely.

“Definitely” he nodded, smiling slightly at me, though it did not fully reach his eyes. “Sorry, I guess I was hysteric and irrational yesterday. Thanks for going that far to comfort me.”

“It was not only comfort” I blurted out, without thinking. “You know that, right?”

Kame looked up at me, gulping slightly, biting his lip in embarrassment while he fumbled with the coffee cups.

“I was afraid to ask if it was” he admitted.

“It was” I ensured him, finally reaching out to him, hooking his little finger with mine, shyly. Kame smiled ever so slightly, catching eyes with me, and I realized with a relief that this was the first time in days that I had seen him smile. Really smile.

And suddenly, I thought that it would be okay again. I was aware that I could not heal his wounds completely with just that one night. But maybe, with time, I could. And I would give it my all to do so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted: http://vflmaeuschen.blog.com/2011/12/23/multichapter-right-behind-you-chapter-6/


End file.
